L.A. Prostitutes Through the Lens of Scot Sothern (NSFW)

"'Okay, she said. 'You can take my picture but you cant show my face. Someday Im gonna marry a really important rich guy. You can take my picture for ten dollars, but you cant show my face. Because if you do, then someday you could blackmail me.'"
1/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Jane Doe - 1988

"This woman is already dead so I photograph her ghost."
2/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Rose - 1989

"The plank walls were pocked-marked and soft with rot. Three shopping carts filled with plastic bags and castaway clothes; dead and wounded furniture; a large galvanized trash can filled with old TV Guides. Nothing of current value, no one's keepsakes, childhood books or toys, nothing lost, missed, or remembered fondly."
3/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Sadie -2012

"Sadie says she keeps clean and she keeps her clothes clean, she says she's a drug addict but she still cares about herself and she doesnt want to stink like some of the other girls do."
4/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern TJ Girl - 1987

"On her cheeks, she wore round, red circles of rouge like a toy soldier. I inquired as to the price of an orgasm, which she told me was a steal at fifteen dollars."
5/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Agapito-2012

"I think he says his name is Agapito, but he's from way-south of the border and I no comprendo. He doesn't understand why I want to take his picture but he understands a twenty dollar bill well enough to haggle for an extra ten. He hides his face and simultaneously tugs down his pants and when he shows his face again he won't meet my eyes."
6/13

"'Im an artist,' I tell Temptation. 'Two hundred years from now men will look at my pictures of you and theyll get boners.'"
8/13

Friday Morning - 2013

"As she runs into the dark, her silvery shorts reflect my headlights like a street sign; a dark red blood stain in the seat of her pants."
9/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern OReillys Parking Lot

"She's not wearing makeup and it looks like she might have a shiner. She's as high as I ever remember being high and when she comes down she'll probably feel as low as I've ever felt."
10/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Pepper - 1990

"'I'm big and not pretty,' Pepper told me. 'Sometimes people are afraid of me. People just look at me, think I'm crazy. Men are mean to me.'"
11/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Lacey - 2012

"She emerges from the heavy shadows of industrial L.A. and tells me she can suck cock better than any skinny skank, then she shows me her wiggling tongue to demonstrate."
12/13

Photo and text by Scot Sothern Patsy-2013

"Patsy loves modeling for me and pouts like a little girl when I dont ask her for something more."
13/13

L.A. Prostitutes Through the Lens of Scot Sothern (NSFW)

Scot Sothern has carved a unique place among Los Angeles photographers by focusing on the gritty world of L.A. prostitution. Since 1985, he's been documenting street walkers of Hollywood and Skid Row.

Sothern's X-rated photographs became famous when his gallery show, Lowlife, and his book by the same name, were released in 2010. In his new memoir, Curb Service, Sothern tells the true stories behind these notorious photos in his own words. This gallery is a collection of some of Sothern's body of work, along with an excerpt of what he wrote about the experience.

Scot Sothern has carved a unique place among Los Angeles photographers by focusing on the gritty world of L.A. prostitution. Since 1985, he's been documenting street walkers of Hollywood and Skid Row.

Sothern's X-rated photographs became famous when his gallery show, Lowlife, and his book by the same name, were released in 2010. In his new memoir, Curb Service, Sothern tells the true stories behind these notorious photos in his own words. This gallery is a collection of some of Sothern's body of work, along with an excerpt of what he wrote about the experience.